{"id":179882,"date":"2025-06-13T01:53:12","date_gmt":"2025-06-13T01:53:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/179882\/"},"modified":"2025-06-13T01:53:12","modified_gmt":"2025-06-13T01:53:12","slug":"in-pictures-western-trust-celebrate-success-at-rcn-ni-nurse-of-the-year-awards-2025-page-1-of-8","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/179882\/","title":{"rendered":"IN PICTURES: Western Trust celebrate success at RCN NI Nurse of the Year Awards 2025 – Page 1 of 8"},"content":{"rendered":"

Professor Owen Barr, from Derry was presented with the prestigious Kathleen Robb Award for outstanding contribution to nursing, sponsored by the Northern Ireland Practice and education Council (NIPEC).\u00a0Owen is Professor of Nursing and Intellectual Disabilities at Ulster University. His career began as a registered and community learning disability nurse in Northern Ireland and England, experiences that have shaped his lifelong commitment to improving healthcare for people with learning disabilities.<\/p>\n

Through pioneering co-designed and solution-focused teaching, he has revolutionised how health professionals are trained\u2014extending his influence from nursing students to paramedics and beyond. His work has led to the development of national educational standards, practice guidelines, and accessible resources that are changing how care is delivered.<\/p>\n

Paying tribute to Owen at the ceremony, Professor Rita Devlin, Executive Director of the RCN in Northern Ireland said: \u201cOwen\u2019s evidence-based approach, combined with a deep-rooted passion for inclusive care, continues to enhance the quality and safety of healthcare experiences for some of the most vulnerable in our communities. His dedication has made a lasting difference to both nursing education and the lives of people with learning disabilities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jonah Atos, from Derry, was runner up in the Directors of Nursing Award sponsored by the five HSC Trusts.\u00a0As International nurse co-ordinator in the Western Trust, Jonah was nominated for her dedication and support of internationally educated nurses, supporting them throughout their journey from pastoral care to registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council. The trust maintains a 100% pass rate largely due to Jonah\u2019s dedication and support, and her mission is to promote the integration of IENs into the workforce and community life. The judging panel described Jonah as \u201can inspirational leader\u201d and \u201ca breath of fresh air\u201d, who is motivating and enthusiastic\u201d.<\/p>\n

The overall winner of the RCN Northern Ireland Nurse of the Year Award 2025 was Kelly Forbes, from Annalong, a senior mental health nurse, based in Newry and District GP Federation. Kelly won the award for her work to empower patients to take an active role in managing their mental health, and for transforming how patients access support for mental and emotional well-being.<\/p>\n

Commenting on the awards, Professor Rita Devlin, RCN Northern Ireland Executive Director, said: \u201cKelly has made a profound difference in the lives of her patients by creating vital mental health resources that are easily accessible through GP services. Her work is an outstanding example of how community-based nurses are leading the way in enhancing patient care.<\/p>\n

\u201cHer dedication and innovative approach have significantly improved patient outcomes, experiences, and overall quality of life.<\/p>\n

\u201cEach year, these awards highlight the exceptional skill and professionalism within nursing in Northern Ireland, and how our nursing staff continually strive to deliver the highest standards of care.<\/p>\n

\u201cCongratulations to all of this year\u2019s finalists, who represent the very best of our profession.\u201d<\/p>\n

PICTURED BELOW:\u00a0Professor Owen Barr from Ulster University who won the Kathleen Robb Award for Outstanding Contribution to Nursing.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

We want your photos to feature on the website via our Camera Club<\/a>. Do you have a great photo from life in the locality? Whether it\u2019s a party, wedding, communion, landscape, a quirky shot from your archives, or a simple everyday moment, we want your snapshots.<\/p>\n

We are inviting people to share photos that capture the spirit of the county. From special occasions to quieter moments, your pictures help tell the story of everyday life in our community.<\/p>\n

To submit<\/b>:<\/p>\n

Go to the Camera Club page<\/a> and follow the instructions to upload your photo. Include your name, where it was taken, and a short caption if you can.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Your photo could be featured on our website and newspaper and seen by readers across the county and beyond.\u00a0<\/p>\n

TAP HERE TO SUBMIT YOUR PICTURES TODAY<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Professor Owen Barr, from Derry was presented with the prestigious Kathleen Robb Award for outstanding contribution to nursing,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":179883,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4316],"tags":[105,4348,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-179882","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-healthcare","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-healthcare","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/179882","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=179882"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/179882\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/179883"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=179882"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=179882"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=179882"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}